


Under Candlelight

by LadyofHeart



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas fic, Corrin and Kamui are twins, Fake Dating, M/M, Niles has both his eyes, but hes still trash dont worry, how many christmas and cold cliches can i fit into one fic, potentially
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-16
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-15 09:36:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13028274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofHeart/pseuds/LadyofHeart
Summary: Leo was expecting a nice night to himself and his books. No siblings, no friends, no bothers. Instead, he got a break in and a boy who pops up everywhere he is like a shadow. Really, he can only blame fate for bringing him together with Niles in odd and peculiar ways.(A fic based around Christmas time with rich boy Leo and less than fortunate Niles. Shenanigans ensue, but of the light-hearted kind)





	1. Chapter One: On That Night

**Author's Note:**

> I put off writing Leoniles fic by writing more Leoniles fic. This is fine. A few things to note on the Hoshidan and Nohrian families - Corrin and Kamui are twins who really are the half-siblings of both families. I didn't feel like doing anything too complicated so hey Garon used to be a nice guy once and maybe Mikoto was a little unfaithful in her marriage whatever we can't all be perfect. I'm not even sure how relevant everyone is going to be yet but just for future reference:  
> Ages  
> Xander/Ryoma - 23  
> Camilla/Hinoka - 21  
> Corrin/Kamui/Azura - 18  
> Leo/Takumi/Niles - 16  
> Elise/Sakura - 14

Leo was not in the habit of hiding things from his siblings, be they big or small, but the person he was hiding in his closet was about to become an exception to that rule. It was an impulsive and dangerous move, he knew that, but when he heard Camilla’s car pull into the driveway and the three dogs in the house race to the front door it was the first thing he could think of. Put the problem away while he dealt with his sisters. 

“Oh hello, Leo,” Camilla said once she stepped through the door with Elise and Corrin behind her. All the girls had colorful paper bags hanging on their arms and smelled distinctly of restaurant food. “Had a good evening to yourself?”

“It was nice to get in a bit of reading without any distractions, yes. How was your girls night out?” He was proud of himself for keeping a level voice and not glancing down the hall to his bedroom every two seconds.

“It was so much fun!” Squealed Elise. “I got this neat pink dress and we went out to eat and we stopped by a pet store and” - she paused to gasp - “I saw the most adorable rabbits there and got to pet them!”

Corrin sighed. “Only because she made a scene about not being able to pet them at first.” She placed her bags down on the nearby table so she could pet the Doberman, Tomato, who was sniffing her knees and prancing back and forth. Leo had named Tomato when she was a puppy and he was a child with a wild obsession that, somehow, never went away. 

Corrin looked around the house. “It’s pretty dark in here. Did Xander and Father come back yet?”

“Still working their late hours.” Leo always found it weird how Corrin called him Father when Kamui refused to with so much vigor. The twins could be as different as night and day. “I guess I just didn’t feel like turning on the lights once the sun started to set,” he lied. He didn’t want them to see the signs of a scuffle in the living room yet, and he was sure he could usher them to bed early enough to clean everything up himself.

“I hope Xander’ll be back soon,” said Elise. “I wanna show him my dress!”

Camilla smiled. “Yes, I did buy him this lovely little thing too…”

Leo ignored the conversation in favor of glancing at the staircase that led to the bedrooms. Was that person still in there? What was he even thinking? He was itching to race up and check on him while debating telling the girls or not. It would be the smart move, but he had called off smart moves the minute he didn’t phone the police of a break in.  
“You all must be cold,” he cut in, ignoring Corrin’s peculiar glance at him. “Why don’t you put your stuff away and get warmed up?”

“It did start snowing today…” Corrin said, still not letting her curiosity fade. She knew he was eager to go do something, but she would never guess what. The dogs continued to sniff and prod at their bags, Tomato being the most eager for attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Camilla’s cat, Rose, trodding in. 

Leo grabbed one of Corrin’s heavier bags. “Come on, then. It’s not getting any warmer in the foyer.” He walked away without waiting for her, tuning in and out of Elise’s rambling and one-sided conversation with Camilla. When he walked into her room he placed the bag down and turned hastily, ready to dash off to his own room while they were busy settling themselves down.

Corrin held up a hand to stop him. “Hold on a sec, little brother. Something’s up with you. What’s wrong?”

Leo cleared his throat. “I was in the middle of studying when you all came home. I don’t want to lose my spot.”

“Oh. Oh, Leo. Don’t you ever relax? I thought you stayed home because that’s exactly what you wanted.”

“This is relaxing. It’s relaxing to know that I’ll have good grades that grant me a good college education and future.”

She rubbed her temples. “Don’t mention college around me. But fine, fine, go back to studying. I’ll make sure Elise doesn’t wander in to bother you. Or the dogs, for that matter. They seem more antsy than usual. Did you feed them?”

He was already backing out of her room. “Of course. I don’t forget things like that, unlike some of us.” He smirked when she began to protest how it had only been one time. They both knew it had certainly been more than one time.

He looked down both ends of the dark hall once he got to his room. All the doors were closed, though he could hear Elise’s voice carry from down the end of the hall. He shook his head and let himself into his room, turning on his light and shutting the door behind him.

He flinched when he saw the boy from earlier standing much closer than he was expecting. He had replaced his desperate and scared expression with one of smugness, knowing he had been told to wait in the closet in case someone came into Leo’s room. In the light, it was easier to see the definition of a scar going down one eye and the tear on his sleeve where one of the dogs had grabbed him during the tousle. Leo wished he would go back to that fearful face, for that had been what saved him in the end.

It had been a night he was looking forward to, one to himself. He would get to settle down with some book while the girls were out and Xander was working with his father. Takumi was also busy that night, meaning he wouldn’t have to hear about any drama from him through angry texts for once. Even Owain was out with his acting class. It should have been lonely, just him in a cold mansion behind steel gates, but Leo was more loved than he cared to admit. A night of just him was a reward, not a rejection. And it had been just like that until there was noise at the front door that sounded less like a key and more like someone trying to break in.

He felt a little more confident confronting these people with Xander’s old bat in hand and his hounds at his side. The minute the intruders saw him they fled in fear. Tomato latched onto the nearest one who cried out for their friends and was subsequently left behind. Of course, Leo threatened to call the police, but between his father, Xander, and Camilla he wasn’t sure if this boy wouldn’t end up dead. Then, strangely, he wasn’t met with pleas to not do so. It was just a blank expression, practically begging him to do so. No fight, no smugness. And then he had been forced to make a split-second decision when he heard Camilla’s car roll into the driveway and he had stupidly shuffled the stranger, intruder, up into his room and raced back down the stairs to greet his sisters.

Now he had to deal with the mess he made. 

“Why?” The stranger asked. It was a fair question.

It just didn’t have an easy answer. “Keep your voice down. I’m going to wait until my sisters have settled for a bit before I get you out.”

He tilted his head to the side and considered the response. “Why get me out at all? I wouldn’t hold a grudge if you called the cops now. It’d be sensible.”

“I’ve already gotten this far,” Leo muttered. He kept his back to the door, one ear trained outside and both eyes kept on the stranger. He didn’t look that much older than Leo himself, but anyone could be dangerous. He didn’t even know if he had a weapon or something. Still, the way he had stared at him was stuck in his mind. He wasn’t sure he had ever seen that expression on someone before.

He crossed his arms and did his best impression of Xander. Xander was always intimidating, wasn’t he? He could try to be like Camilla, but he didn’t think her flamboyant bends and lilts would suit him well. “You asked me why, but I think I’m more in the position to ask that right now. I mean really, breaking into the Nohr manor?”

“It’s not as intimidating as you think. I didn’t hear any alarms go off.”

Fair point. Leo hadn’t thought to enable them when the girls left, knowing that they wouldn’t be gone long. And really, who would have thought to? The three massive dogs and family name had seemed like enough at the time. 

The stranger suddenly plopped on his floor, crossing his legs and staring up at him. 

Leo huffed. “Don’t look so comfortable. I could change my mind if I wanted to. I’m just doing something nice for once.”

“It’d just be kinder to call the cops.”

He scoffed. “And have you deal with my family? Hardly. This way, I’m letting you go with a warning. A close brush with consequences.”

“I think I know enough of consequences to not have a warning,” he said.

Leo looked away, knowing his eyes would have drawn to the scar on his face. He didn’t need a reminder of the privilege he had in this house. In this side of town. “How’s your arm?” He asked, flinching when he heard Elise’s squeal from her room. Soon, he told himself. Soon they would quiet down and he could remove this problem from his room.  
“Just a little tear. Don’t worry, I didn’t get any blood on your precious fur coats.”

Leo rolled his eyes and glanced at him. “You didn’t really answer my question.”

“Nor you mine.” 

It was hard to hold the stiff position Xander managed all day, so he slouched against his door and let his arms fall to his sides. “You told me to call them. Keep telling me. I wasn’t expecting that. I guess it had the opposite effect of what you hoped.”

He seemed to contemplate this for a moment, running a hand through his light hair. His blue eyes grew distant as he stared at a spot on the wooden floor before shrugging. “Don’t know what you think I’m gonna be running back out to.”

Leo opened his mouth to argue, not liking the tone he took, but he deflated. “I… don’t know. But it’s better to have that option than none at all.”

He shook his head. “It must be nice to have such fluffy thoughts in your brain.”

He glared at him. “I-”

“Leo?” Camilla’s voice called down the hall. “Are you talking to someone?”

“Just on the phone with Takumi!” He supplied, straightening his back against the door. “I’ll go to sleep in a sec!”

“Takumi?” The stranger tapped his chin in thought. “I guess all rich boys really do know each other. But I heard that the Hoshidos and Nohrs don’t fancy each other much.”

“Adults are funny like that,” Leo said. “But for the rest of us? That grudge is dead and done.” Mostly. Some days Takumi spouted something stupid (like always) that sparked a momentary world war, but it was less frequent the older they got. 

“Disappointing. I live off of drama.”

“You and every other reporter. Anyway, keep your voice down.” He waited for what felt like hours, his eyes darting from the stranger to the door, before he opened it up slightly. Darkness. He peaked at his sisters’ doors and saw the lights were either dimmed or completely off. Shopping must have really taken it out of them. Knowing Corrin, the dogs were in her room for now. Her love of pets knew no bounds.

He beckoned the stranger to follow him with a wag of his finger, focusing on the darkness and sound of his feet as he neared. Without another word, he led him through the manor to one of the many backdoors that would make the least amount of noise. He was a teenager, of course, he knew how to sneak out of the house without anyone knowing. He pried open the door and shivered at the cold before looking back to the stranger.

He had caught him with a lost expression on his face. Like he didn’t know what was going to happen next. He snapped back to a cooler one when he caught him staring.  
“I suppose I should thank you,” his voice was above a whisper, yet softer than before.

“I suppose you should.” Leo didn’t step back from the door. 

He wanted to ask what this stranger was running to now. Another house to break in? Another group of spineless cowards? Before him was a whole other world he had been taught to look down on and steer away from. Even kind Xander held his prejudices, and it was easy to act that way when they were so removed from those kinds of struggles. Seeing someone like this should have hammered away his ideas and stereotypes of those less fortunate, but it had the opposite effect. He was stupidly curious as to what this life was like. The other side of the tracks.

Instead of asking those questions, he asked, “What’s your name?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Niles.”

Leo nodded as if the name had meaning. Niles. No last name. “Don’t break in again. I will definitely call the cops if you do.”

His wide grin was eerily similar to that of the Cheshire cat. “I’ll shoot for the Hoshido manor next time.” He stepped outside and glanced back at him. Those eyes were so blue that they could have been gems. 

Leo scoffed and crossed his arms. He leaned against the doorframe and watched Niles disappear into the darkness, left feeling colder than before. He lingered until his face and fingers were numb and he wasn’t sure if he had dreamt the event or not. Then, he pushed himself off the frame and headed to the mess in the living room to move things back into place as quietly as he could.

As quiet as Niles had been when he walked away for what Leo incorrectly assumed to be the last time.


	2. Chapter Two: Poetry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think the most cringey thing ive ever done is try to write owain's flamboyant speech but hey lemme know what you think

Leo was pretty sure he was born to be in cafes. The warm tones, the moody lighting, the even moodier people. This was his sort of place. It wasn’t rude to sit in one spot for hours on his computer to pour over history forums and remain completely shut off from the world. Oddly enough, it was Owain’s sort of place too, but only at night on specific days of the week. Because at this cafe, on these days, he participated in poetry. And Leo was nothing if not a good friend who would go to support his equally good but definitely weird friend.

He sat in the back of the cafe, watching the spotlight where various performers had appeared before the poetry slam itself. He was surprised to see Azura there, her incredibly long hair tied up in a bun and a classic guitar sitting on her lap as she strung out perfect notes. Her golden eyes caught his for a moment in the song and he gave a small smile to acknowledge her. If she weren’t so afraid of his father she might spend more time around the manor. It was a shame. Her mother had died recently and Mikoto had taken her in, yet she never fully warmed up to Corrin and Kamui’s other side of the family.

Her calculating and delicate fingers glided across the strings with ease and purpose in a jarring mash of mechanical movements and emotional outcome. Between her singing, Elise’s violin and Sakura’s koto they could start their very own band and have guaranteed success. Azura had probably made that connection already, but she was reserved and distant. A quality he understood and shared, but still impossibly difficult to deal with.

He clapped with the crowd when she was finished and continued to do so as he watched Owain dramatically take center stage with too many arm movements and stretches. He has always been an embarrassment to watch, but Leo knew that getting into their friendship. He was a little proud of the funny looks they got as a duo walking down the halls of their school, as if breaking their expectations of him meant something. 

He had heard Owain’s poem a million times before, performed to him both in person and over the phone. Owain loved performance and drama more than anything, but it probably came as a surprise to strangers that he got extremely nervous before performing and Leo often had to hear the same complaints over and over again before he could assure him that his work was fine. He acted exasperated but really, he was glad that he could help him. He knew that anxious feeling well enough to not be cruel and turn Owain away.

“Alas, with that majestic pyre in the distance, watching us and playing witness!” He cried out, startling those who sat closest. Leo smiled and leaned his head on his hand. He could practically recite the whole thing with him. “Who could tame the conflagration of our inner mirror?” He clutched his chest dramatically. 

Leo had been nonstop in questioning his poem when he first heard it. Was it a love poem? It was totally a love poem. Who was Owain crushing on? Did Leo know them? He was met with protest after protest despite him playing every card about how good he was at keeping secrets and how he would just find out later anyway. He never really got an answer.  
He was so enraptured with Owain’s poetry that he hardly noticed someone slide into the chair next to him until he heard their familiar voice close to his ear.

“He certainly has a lot of energy. How much coffee did his mom let him have?”

His head snapped around to face Niles, far too close and sudden. He flinched back. “N-Niles? You’re here? Why are you here?”

Niles only glanced at him, resting his arms on the table and propping his head up on his hands. He was entertained by the poetry or pretending to be so. 

“I just so happened to be passing by and saw you through the window. Thought I’d drop by since we’re friends and all now.”

Leo quirked an eyebrow, regaining his composure. This was fine. He could deal with this. “Right, friends. That’s what you call everyone who does you a favor?”

Niles turned to look at him. “You’d be the first, so yes.”

He wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Oh, but you do make such a lovely face when you’re caught off guard.”

Leo could only guess what face he was making now. He cleared his throat and looked back towards Owain, refusing to let the comment get to him. “So you were around here by chance?”

“What, doesn’t this seem like my kind of neighborhood?”

“I don’t pretend to know your lifestyle. I’ve never seen you near my school.”

He scoffed. “Do I seem like the type to go to a private school?”

Leo hid his smirk. “I don’t go to private school. I go public, like everyone else.” It was nice to have a moment of silence from that. 

Niles was quick to go back to his natural smugness. “So you’re one of those down to earth rich boys. You sound like you’ll follow the footsteps of your older brother at that rate. Oh, how I’ve heard about his nobility and chivalry. I wonder what really drives a man like that.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. He loved Xander, no one could accuse him otherwise, but being compared to him was always a knife to his ego. Xander was smart, a leader, wise, mature. He was the top of his old baseball team and renowned fencer. He knew how to play several instruments when the rest of them struggled to learn one. He had rescued five kittens in a storm once. Leo didn’t believe the last one of course, but every good thing came from his brother and nothing from him. He couldn’t compare, though he wanted to, and didn’t like to be compared, though it happened often.

“He is driven by every pure thing you can think of. As for the family business… consider me undecided.” He glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, watching the stiff posture he kept. He could act as relaxed as he wanted, this place clearly wasn’t one of comfort for him. “Enough of me, what of you? I think after saving you I deserve a bit of an answer. Did you reconcile with your… friends?”

“Would you have after abandonment?”

He shrugged. “No, but I’ve been told I’m prideful.”

“Then consider us the same.”

The somewhat jovial air left him and he looked away from the end of Owain’s poem to study Niles more intently. He was unable to hold down the iota of concern he felt for this stranger. What went beyond those steady blue eyes? “How did you come upon your extracurriculars and ‘friends’ in the first place?”

He fluffed up his hair, which already looked soft and fluffy. Leo didn’t have a type, but if he did it was probably people with soft hair he could run his fingers through. He tried not to think about that when Niles did it again before speaking. “It helps to not be born into a rich and well-known name. No social ladder to fall down, so to speak.”

His eyes darted behind Leo’s head and he went quiet. He turned abruptly to see Owain there, grinning from ear to ear.

“Did you see me?” He asked eagerly. 

“Of course. I’ve only heard those lines a hundred times.”

“I know, but-” He finally noticed Niles. “Who is this loiterer of the dark?”

“A… friend. A new one.”

Niles gave him a crooked smile. “And a leaving one at that. I don’t know how much more of these theatrics I can stomach.”

“Niles,” His name came out as more of a growl than Leo intended, as if he were scolding an old friend.

“Don’t worry, this won’t be a final goodbye. I know you can’t get enough of me.”

“It seems the other way around,” he responded, watching him get up. Niles quirked an eyebrow but he was clearly pleased with the response. He bid a final farewell before walking away from them.

Owain took another seat next to him, swinging the chair around to lean on the back of it. He expected more of his expositional language. Not, “I’ve never seen you flirt before.”

“Flirt? Excuse me? I wasn’t flirting, I was-”

“A proud showing of courtship between my blue-blooded friend and a mystery from the shadows! What starcrossed love could be brewed days before the blessed holiday of Christmas?”

He rubbed his temples. “No, no love, no flirting. Go back to talking about your poetry.”

Owain simply grinned up at him with sparkling eyes. Really, he had only met Niles twice. He was just trying to match him in teasing behavior and maintain his own calm. He was saved from more of Owain’s prodding by Azura.

Her hair was falling out of its bun now and framing her face, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty. Everything about her was some sort of casual, ethereal attraction that Leo could barely bring himself to envy.

“I expected you two here. Your poetry was truly inspiring, Owain,” she said, her voice carrying in that soft way it always did. “You’re talent knows no bounds.”

He perked up instantly, forgetting Niles’ remark. “Well, your voice must be descended from gods! You could move entire armies with such power!”

She giggled and thanked him before looking to Leo. “Leo, are you excited for the Christmas next week?”

His smile left his face. “Christmas party? What are you talking about?”

“The fancy one that our families will be attending on Christmas Eve. I thought Corrin would have told you at least.”

“I wasn’t told anything.”

“Oh, well I’m sure they’ll tell you more about it, especially Elise. You know how she gets. You only have to dress nice and be polite for a few hours with a few of Nohr and Hoshido’s shared contractors. Oh, and to bring a plus one.”

His gaze slid to Owain. “I suppose you wouldn’t be interested in another of these boring events?”

His hand shyly came up to scratch the back of his head. “I’d love to, really, but Christmas Eve? My mom always goes all out and I know my uncle will be visiting for the holidays and my cousin and-”

He held a hand up. “No need for more, I understand. I’ll find someone else.” Takumi couldn’t be his plus one since he would already be roped into going, and he would likely bring Hinata or Oboro. “Who are you bringing, Azura?”

“Kaden,” she responded.

That chipper person he had seen working at Petsmart a few times. It wasn’t a horrible choice. “I’ll have to add this to my list of things to worry about, now.”

“You’ll find someone. It’s really all about presentation, showing the other business partners how well adjusted the children of Nohr and Hoshido are. People love nothing more than a touch of realism.”

Leo frowned. Maybe he could wiggle his way out of this. No one could applaud him for being social beyond Owain and Takumi, and it had taken a long time to get to that point. He glanced out at the dark of night, pondering a stupid idea. Someone like that didn’t belong at events like those. Besides, he could probably convince Elise to let him borrow one of her friends. Effie was nice and Arthur was odd, but he was used to that.

He bid Azura and Owain farewell by night’s end, heading back home alone. The lights were on in the living room, but Xander’s car was missing from the driveway. Late night again, unfortunately. He hated to be that person, but the late hours and distance were beginning to grate on him the closer Christmas came. Not that he would ever voice that feeling, though he knew Camilla was on the trail of figuring it out when she saw him grumpier than usual. He cleared those thoughts away and there, in the back of his mind, Niles lingered like an enigma that he itched to figure out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so obviously this won't be done before christmas but??? maybe january??? happy holidays yall dont make commitments you cant keep


End file.
